The Tortured Poets Department Review

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If you are surprised by the broody, dark, and sometimes heavy nature of Taylors Swift's new album, I should probably remind you the album is titled The Tortured Poets Department. The album did contain some surprises for me and not all of them pleasant. 

No surprise: as a typewriter owner my favorite song is the title track. I love Clara Bow with its nod to history, pop culture icons, and a small town kid making it big. I was surprised the only apparent nod to current love Travis Kelce was Alchemy (also a track I keep coming back to with its playful lyrics and soulful sound).  

I was surprised by how much Matt Healy there was (lead singer of The 1975 and brief romantic interest of Swift) and how little Joe Alwyn (Taylor’s boyfriend of six years). Perhaps that’s because the album is more Jack Antonoff  (a producer on this album and has produced for The 1975) than Aaron Dessner (a producer of this album who worked on Swift's Folklore and Evermore).

I was not surprised there were some explicit songs but I was surprised by how many. I was glad for the non explicit version. I hope she will continue doing this in the future. I was not surprised that there were some religious themes but I was surprised by how many and how pointed some of them were. Guilty as Sin felt less like someone questioning their faith or simply walking away and more of an accusation of others who hold onto theirs. 

The album is long, rarely if ever light and may not enjoy the wider popularity of some of her previous efforts. No surprise, her die hard fans will love it anyway. I hope to be pleasantly surprised and connect over time to more of the tracks. It will surprise no one who knows me that I am not planning any time soon on trading my Folklore friendship bracelet for a Tortured Poets Department one.